Breaks of 56 and 59 were good enough for Perry to finish off the match having resumed 8-1 clear at the Crucible overnight.
Dott apparently went into the tournament with a new cue, and was a shadow of the figure who collected the world title in 2006 while reaching finals in 2004 and 2010.
Perry, the world number 27, was never at his best but did not have to be. He will take on Dott's fellow Scotsman Stephen Maguire in the last 16.
Graeme Dott endured a disastrous time in falling 8-1 behind to Joe Perry after a turgid first round match at the World Championship in Sheffield.
In easily the poorest match of the tournament so far, qualifier Perry - a figure who reached the last four in 2008 - produced a highest break of only 54 in the eighth frame in establishing an 8-0 lead over Dott in an error-strewn contest.
Scotsman Dott - world champion in 2006 - saluted the crowd with a sarcastic wave after claiming the final frame of the day with a run of 37, but he will know his chances of progression this year are already over.
Much of that was down to his own performance as he missed numerous chances with Perry scrapping away to build a lead with a level of play that bordered on mediocrity but often fell way short of what both men can produce.
At one point, Dott threatened to snap his cue over his knee as he saw frames slip away with worrying regularity.
The man from Larkhall is known for his tenacity, but gave up the ghost in a couple of frames needing only a couple of snookers such was his despair at what he was producing.
He is likely to be put of his misery quickly when they play to a finish with Perry looking for two more frames for victory on Wednesday morning.
